The impact of investment projects on the traditional architectural identity of basra city

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the reason(s) behind the ongoing fadedness of the traditional architectural identity of Basra city. This is because, Basra has long been known for its traditional architectural identity over the last centuries. However, this traditional identity has significantly faded given the modernisation process that happened and is continuing to happen, especially, after the 2003 war which prompted an increase in investment projects in the city. This observation has led the researchers to hypothesise that one of the main reasons behind the continuing fadedness of this traditional identity is the lack of effective design approval process (DAP) that evaluates submitted investment projects design for its inclusion for the heritage of the city. Thus, the aim of this paper is to test this hypothesis. Design/methodology/approach: The case study research methodology is used to solicit the relevant data necessary for effectively testing this hypothesis. Four key organisations are studied and semi-structured interview, observations and documentation analysis are used as main data collection methods. Findings: The result has revealed a clear lack in the current DAP. It has been evident that the technical evaluation guidelines lack the necessary criteria that can be used to check if Basra's traditional architectural identity is reflected in the submitted design for proposed investment projects in the city. Originality/value: This finding can help relevant governmental agencies understand the reason behind the disappearance of Basra architectural identity and build on efforts to improve their technical evaluation guideline to address this issue.